Not Just Another Fan
by Dr.Lyell
Summary: Nikki is a highly suicidal girl. The problem? She's invincible. But her whole life is turned around after a surprise encounter with the famous Iron Man. After a turn of events from her normal life, Nikki learns there's more to life than dying.
1. Attempt Number Something

I plunged the sharp knife directly into my heart and let out a frustrated scream. It never worked. I couldn't, no matter what, kill myself. I'd tried, countless times. But I could never manage to succeed. Not because I don't have the determination. I just stabbed myself! Not because someone stopped me. My bedroom is empty except for me.

I'm invincible.

I yanked the knife out of my chest and flopped onto the covers of my bed, sobbing. The knife tumbled out of my hand and clattered onto the carpet of my bedroom floor. I needn't worry about staining the carpet with blood. I can't physically bleed. Each time I cut myself, the wound heals and not a drop of blood escapes my body. Same with broken bones. They reset immediately. I'm immune to poisons, sicknesses, everything you can think of. I can't even feel any pain. Nothing can hurt me.

And I hate it.

I'm different than everyone. They brag about how they break bones, or boast tragic wound stories. I've had breaks and wounds much worse, but I can't talk about them. People would either think I'm a liar or some sort of alien who can't be hurt (which-for all I know-could be true).

I isolated myself so no one would know. I had no will to live, no friends to support me, no drive or determination to stay. Nothing.

So I attempted suicide. I've lost count of how many times I've tried. But I can't ever do it. The worst thing about it is that I _want_ to die, but my body won't let me. The only way I can think of that I can die is from old age. I'm 19, so that's no happening anytime soon.

A knock on my door startled me a bit. I groaned and pushed myself into a sitting position, wiping my face with my palms.

"Come in," I said, wishing I didn't sound like I'd been crying. At the last possible moment, I remembered the knife on the ground. I jumped down from my bed and landed heavily on the knife. I could feel the blade jabbing into my abdomen, but it was only a faint tickling sensation, like a feather laying on bare skin.

The door opened and my dad walked in, stopping short when he saw me laying on the floor.

"What on earth..." he trailed off and looked around my room. In addition to me laying on the floor in tight shorts and a sports bra, the room was a wreck. Clothes and papers were strewn across the floor. My desk and bed were cluttered with books, unfinished drawings and short stories, and charging cables for my laptop and phone.

"Dad," I said sharply, drawing his attention back to me. "Did you need something?"

"I was wondering, have you seen my hunting knife? Caleb and I are going camping this weekend, and I can't seem to find it," he said. I sighed softly and sat up. The big knife was jammed crookedly in my stomach. When my dad saw it, he pursed his lips, then walked over to pull it out of my body. "Again, Nikki?" I looked down, feeling ashamed.

"Sorry, Dad. I can't help it," I mumbled. It was true. I had attempted suicide so many times, it was almost like an addiction for me. The thought of another attempt was the only thing that kept me going most days. Dad brushed my hair back off of my face.

"Why don't you come down and help Sarah and I make dinner?" he asked gently. "Get your mind off all this." I nodded.

"Be down in a second. Let me change." I smiled ruefully at my outfit. Dad kissed my head and ruffled my hair. Then he stood up and walked out, taking his knife with him.

I scooted on my butt over to the closet, feeling too lazy to actually stand up to change my clothes. I pulled on a faded denim shirt and a pair of leggings, then braided my long brown hair over my shoulder.

I walked out of my room, almost being trampled by my step-brother's massive Labrador, Corky. The dog was being closely followed by Caleb, the 15-year-old step-genius. He's so freaking smart, it's incredible. He smacked my face playfully in passing, and I responded by sticking out my foot and tripping him.

"Jerk!" he shouted at my back as I turned to walk into the kitchen. Before I entered, I faced him and stuck out my tongue and winked. A huge grin split across his extremely freckled face, and he winked back. I rolled my eyes, but smiled. Gotta love Caleb.

I took a deep breath and walked in. Dad and Sarah, my step-mom, were chatting happily at the stove. The evening news played on the small TV set on the counter. It showed a dirty group of superheroes. The headline read "Superheroes in New York?" I snorted quietly. Superheroes were so overrated in my opinion.

Dad looked up and smiled warmly. "Hey, honey." He looked at the TV. "They're called the Avengers. Saved New York from a so-called 'alien attack.'" He laughed and turned back to the stove. He's a lawyer, and doesn't believe in the supernatural at all. Which is weird, considering he lives with an invincible girl.

I helped Dad and Sarah cook dinner, then after we ate, I returned to my bedroom. I pulled my laptop onto my legs, and opened up Google. I typed in "avengers" out of pure curiosity. I spent the next few hours browsing the Internet and reading articles and news reports about the heroes.

An idea popped into my head. No, that would never work. No, not at all. But the idea still stayed rooted firmly in my brain.

I would be considered normal.

I could join the Avengers.


	2. Moving Day

**A/N: Hey guys :) This is the second chapter, sorry it's been so long since I posted last. Life just gets to ya, y'know?**

 **Ch 2: Breaking the News/Moving Day**

I took a deep breath and peeked inside the kitchen. Caleb, fortunately, wasn't there. Perfect. This was the best time to talk to Dad and Sarah without company. I straightened my spine and strode confidently into the kitchen.

Sarah glanced up from her chopping board. "Morning, Nikki!" She passed me a bowl and a big box of cereal. I poured it into the bowl, coated it in milk, and started shoveling it into my mouth.

"So Dad. I was thinking. I'm nineteen now, and I think it would be best if I left," I began. Dad looked at me from the newspaper in surprise.

"Left?"

I swallowed my cereal and nodded. "I want to get a job and live my own life. Not that I don't love you guys!" I added quickly. Dad and Sarah shared a rather tense look.

"Where exactly are you planning to leave to?" Sarah asked gently. I shrugged.

"I was kind of thinking of going to New York City. It's big, loud, and an easy place to hide my secret." Dad seemed to consider this.

"Have you found a job yet?" he inquired. I nodded again.

"There's this coffee shop-" Dad cut me off.

"A coffee shop? Honey, that's not going to support a good life there, let alone even pay rent on an apartment!"

"Can I finish?" I asked impatiently. Dad said nothing, so I took that as a yes. "It's a coffee shop with a good pay and a good reputation. I think it would be a pretty good starting job until I can find a better one. I've already got an apartment, and I'm planning on driving up next week."

Sarah and Dad shared another look, and sighed in defeat. I inwardly cheered myself on for being so convincing, and suppressed a small smile. "Thanks. If all else fails, I can just come back if it doesn't work out financially. It's not even two hours away, so I think I'll be okay."

I stood to deposit my empty bowl in the sink. I kissed Dad on the cheek "I love you guys, but I'm nineteen. I need to live my own life, and I can't do that cooped up in Philadelphia with my parents."

: : : : :

I slammed the door of my car shut. The last box was finally packed and ready to go. I was ready for New York City.

I walked back up to the porch of the house, where Dad, Sarah, and Caleb stood waiting to say goodbye to me. I high-fived Caleb, promising to call every night. I gave the crying and smiling Sarah a big hug. Dad kissed my head and folded me into his arms.

"I love you, baby. Call me when you stop to get gas," he said, kissing my head again. I nodded and smiled. "Now get going if you want to get to the big city before dark."

I went back to my car, stopping before getting in to wave. They waved back and blew kisses to me. I got behind the wheel of my little car, whose name was now officially Jelly (due to the jelly-ish steering wheel grip), revved the engine, and began the drive.

"Goodbye Philadelphia, hello New York City," I said to myself, and turned the radio up loud as I drove.

: : : : :

My first thought of New York City? Huge. The buildings were so tall and shiny, so different from my little neighborhood in Pennsylvania. It just seemed so busy. I lost count of the number of times I got lost just trying to find my apartment building. I had to program the address into my phone, and even then it took nearly another hour to find. By that time, it was nearly midnight.

I left all the boxes in my car at that point, and slept on the floor of my apartment. In the morning, I explored my tiny living space. One little bedroom, a bathroom, and a combined kitchen and living room. It would work great for me.

It took nearly the whole day to unpack all the boxes. The cupboards were sparsely inhabited by dishes, my few clothes were hung in the closet. There was an overstuffed sofa in the corner, and a little shelf on the wall was packed with my book collection.

The next day was my first day of work. I got a job at the Nearly Home Coffee Shop. I know, its a cheesy name. But I wanted out of Pennsylvania, and they were hiring.

I walked to the coffee shop, not at all surprised to find it packed. I pushed my way up to the counter, despite the rude comments directed at me. There was a tall boy running the orders. He had tattoos up his arms, and several piercings on his face and ears. His name tag said Matt. After a break in customers, he looked up at me.

"What can I get for you?" he sounded bored, like he hated his job.

"Oh, um. I'm Nikki Callum, I got a job here the other week," I said, feeling rather awkward.

"Right." he reached under the counter and pulled out a black apron, then handed it to me, along with a blue name tag. "Kristine's in the back, she's going to train you. It's super simple, shouldn't take too long." I nodded my thanks, and stepped through the swinging door to the back room of the little shop.

There were metal counters lining the walls covered in glass jars full of coffee beans and other mysterious powders. The far wall was completely devoted to coffee machines, and there were massive cans of whipped cream and cupboards full of colorful mugs and glasses.

A girl with long blond hair was squirting an abundant amount of chocolate sauce onto a huge mound of whipped cream when she noticed me standing there.

"Hey! Are you Nicole?" she smiled warmly at me. I smiled rather stiffly back.

"Um, Nikki. But yeah."

"I'm Kristine, but you can call me Kriss!" she said brightly. I think she's a little too enthusiastic to be working in a coffee shop.

The next few hours were filled with a rather hyper Kriss showing me how to work the coffee machines and how much whipped cream was too much. Then Matt taught me how to run the cash register and how to bus the tables.

"You'll officially start tomorrow, 7 am," he said, flipping chairs over and placing them on top of the tables.

I slung the bag over my shoulder, bade Matt and Kriss goodnight, then walked the block back to my apartment. I know, my life is so exiting. The invincible girl working in a coffee shop.


	3. Until Someone Falls

**A/N: I know, I know, I'm an absolutely horrible person! I haven't updated in months and months, and I am so sorry about that. I've just been caught up with school and family life and frustrating friends, BUT I've been getting a ton of ideas for this story. I will be writing a Civil War chapter later on, I've just got to get through the rest of this story. I'm terribly sorry, but please read and review!**

 **Chapter 3: Until Someone Falls**

I looked at the clock on the wall and groaned. Still another two hours until my shift was over. I had worked the morning and the afternoon shift to cover for Matt, and it was awful.

Kriss gave me a sympathetic smile and handed me a pot of hot coffee. "Almost done, honey." I took the pot and began to make my rounds around the shop, refilling colorful mugs and collecting tips.

I gave a smile to a group of teenage girls as they left the shop, then turned to head back to the counter. As I did, however, my tray collided with a person behind me. It tipped backwards onto me, and I stumbled and fell. The contents of my tray slipped off, the bright mugs shattering once they hit the ground, and the hot coffee dumping all over my shirt. The person I ran into swore loudly, and I looked up into his face, feeling quite pathetic on the floor covered in coffee and bits of colorful ceramic. I groaned inwardly when I saw who the person was. Of course, out of all of the people in New York City to run into, it had to be none other than Tony Stark.

"I am so sorry, kid. Are you okay?" He reached down a hand to help me back to my feet. I nodded, and brushed the pieces of mug off of my apron.

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm very sorry for running into you, sir," I apologized, studying his suit to make sure there was no coffee on it. Luckily, it was still spotless. Kriss came hurrying over, apologizing over and over, and offering Stark free coffees. He walked away to go order, and I started scooping up the broken mugs. I thought about how unfortunate the situation was that I met him. I had been saving money and gathering courage for weeks to apply for an internship program at Stark Industries, and was planning on introducing my abilities to Stark once I got accepted. But now, spilling coffee all over myself in front of him, that kind of ruined my shot.

Kriss rushed over again and handed me a mop to wipe up the coffee. As I set to work on this, a plan started forming in my head. I would apply for the internship, then go to Stark Tower and just show Stark what I could do. There was no point in waiting any longer, now that we had informally met.

: : : : :

Later that night, I parked my car in front of the brightly lit Stark Tower. It was now or never. I took a deep breath, pulled my jacket tighter around me, and pushed open the doors to enter the building. There were lots of people inside, carrying the newest technology, and saying big scientific words I didn't understand. A receptionist at a desk cleared her throat, drawing my attention to her.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a slightly condescending voice. I hurried over to the desk and began signing in on a clipboard.

"I'm Nicole Callum, I applied for the internship here earlier today and got a call to come in as soon as possible," I explained. The receptionist typed for a moment on her keyboard, then picked up a phone.

"Mr. Stark, someone's here to see you, said she applied for your intern position. Yes, sir. Nicole Callum. Yes, sir, right away." She put down the phone. "Top floor, knock on the door. He's expecting you." She handed me a name tag, then returned to her computer.

"Thank you," I said, then hurried to the stairwells. I climbed the stairs as quickly as I could, anxious to meet Stark again. When I got to the door, I knocked loudly. There was a moment's pause, then I heard a "Come on in." I pushed the door open and entered.

The room was filled with the coolest technology I had ever seen. Tons of machines all around were whirring and buzzing, swiveling and cutting and doing whatever they do. I couldn't help but stare at a certain machine twisting a piece of red metal into a perfect helix shape. There was a loud cough, drawing my attention to Mr. Stark.

"Hi. Are you Nicole?" He asked, putting a remote down on the desk in front of him. Then he turned to look at me, and I could tell he recognized. "You're the kid from the coffee shop!" I grinned ruefully.

"Yeah," I said apologetically. "I'm sorry about that, by the way." He waved his hand.

"Doesn't matter. Anyway, you applied for my internship and now we're here to talk about it." He picked up a small glass of some liquor and gestured for me to take a seat on a white couch a few feet away. "Wanna drink? How old are you?"

"Um no thank you. And I'm nineteen, so I couldn't drink anyways." I sat on the couch slowly. Mr. Stark tossed me a water bottle from a small fridge, then sat opposite me.

"So. Down to business. What made you decide to apply for the program?" He asked me.

I twisted the lid of the water bottle nervously before answering. "Can I be honest with you?" He nodded, signaling for me to continue. "I don't actually want to be an intern. I just have something I've been wanting to get out and I think you'd be interested to hear it." Stark raised his eyebrows.

"So you're not here to be an intern?"

I shook my head. "No." Stark took a large gulp of his liquor and sighed.

"Well, then if you're goin to tell me something, you should probably do it, because I have a lot of work to do." I took a deep breath.

"I've never told this to anyone before, but you have to believe me, because it's the truth." Stark nodded. "I'm invincible."

Stark laughed. "Of course you are."

I could see he thought I was lying. "I'm being serious, Mr. Stark. I'm invincible! Always have been!" He rolled his eyes.

"You know what I think? You're just like any other crazy fan, trying to get me to think that you're special and to 'join forces with us because you could help us.' And I don't believe it."

"Mr. Stark, please, just let me prove it! I can show you!" I was getting desperate. I looked frantically around the room for a way to prove my abilities. The big balcony behind him caught my eye. **(** **A/N: the one that Iron Man lands on in Avengers and it takes his big suit off, the round one)**

I darted past him to get to the balcony. I peeked my head over the side, judging the height. It was very high. Really high. It was perfect. Mr. Stark must have realized what I was about to do, because he lunged forward to try to stop me. He wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Don't jump, kid! Are you crazy?"

I wrenched myself out his arms, and went to the very edge of the balcony. "I won't jump, I won't jump. I just want to look." Mr. Stark came right up next to me, making sure I didn't jump.

"You know, you have a great view. I love the views you can get from being up high." I smiled and turned, so that my back was to the drop behind me, and placed my heels over the edge. "You want to know another thing I love about heights? They're so beautiful, and fun." I waited a moment, looking Stark right in the eyes. "Until someone falls."

And I tipped myself over the edge.

I was falling through the still, cold air, perfectly relaxed. I saw Stark jump forward to try to grab my hands, but he was too late. I closed my eyes and smiled as I fell. I could hear screams from the people on the street below me. Then I hit the ground. I hit hard enough to leave a big dent in the concrete, and all of my bones in my back shattered. They melded themselves back together in the blink of an eye, and I peeled my body off the ground. Massive crowds of people gathered around me, their phones recording my fall and recovery. Within a moment, Iron Man in his red and gold suit came flying down to meet me, frantic. I was standing in my little crater, arms folded and one hip cocked out to the side.

"What the he-" Stark started, but I cut him off.

"I told you. I'm invincible." I rolled my neck and smirked. "I'm not just another fan."

 **A/N: So there's Chapter 3! Reviews are greatly appreciated, and I will try to have the next chapter up as soon as I can! Love ya!**


	4. Welcome to SHIELD

**A/N: Hi guys! So I'm working on also a bunch of other stories (in my head at least :P) which is why its been taking so long to publish this bad boy! But, I'm going to try to be a lot more consistent. Also I added a story cover, which is kind of exciting! The girl in the picture is what I want Nikki to look like. Also I do not own the picture, it doesn't belong to me. Anyways, enjoy! If you have any questions about anything, feel free to ask! And as always, please please read and review! XOXO**

 **Chapter 4: Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D.**

"I told you. I'm invincible." I rolled my neck and smirked. "I'm not just another fan."

There was quite a large crowd gathered around me at this point, most of them pointing cameras and phones, filming me. In one fast movement, Stark grabbed my upper arm, swung me around roughly so I was on his back, and fired up his rocket boots so we were flying back towards the balcony I threw myself off. He landed hard and I fell clumsily to the ground. His helmet retracted to reveal his face, which was simultaneously angry and amazed.

"What is wrong with you?" He shouted. I stood up and put my hands on my hips, straightening up so I was at my full height, which was not that tall compared to Stark. "I'm going to have this place swarmed with news reporters and journalists for weeks!" I shrugged.

"You didn't listen to me, so I had to show you somehow," I pointed out. "And I'm sick of keeping it a secret, so now everyone knows."

Mr. Stark groaned, then went to sit on his couch, putting his head in his hands. After a few moments he looked up at me. "So tell me everything. I want to hear the full story."

I took a deep breath, crossed the room, and sat cross-legged on the floor opposite him. Then I told him. I told him how growing up I was different from everyone, and I didn't know why. I told him about my parent's divorce after they fought about how to keep me a secret, my moving from San Diego, away from my mom, to Philadelphia with my dad. I told him about my countless suicide attempts for the last few years, and how I was ready for it to be over. I either wanted my ability to go away or to put it to use. So I told him about how I moved to New York City so that I could meet him and join forces to do some good. I talked for more than an hour, and Stark didn't interrupt me. After I was done, he sat for a few minutes in stunned silence.

"Hang on just a minute," was the first thing he said. He left the room, and I could hear him talking on the phone to someone. He returned after a few minutes. "So you think you can help us?" I nodded. "Good. I just talked to Nick Fury, he's the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and he basically put the Avengers together. He'll be here in the morning and wants to see you."

I swallowed. This was moving quicker than I thought it would. I wasn't expecting the director of S.H.I.E.L.D to come see me! But I took a deep breath and nodded, pushing my nerves aside. This is what I wanted, after all.

: : : : :

I stared at my reflection in my mirror at my apartment the next morning. What does one wear when meeting the director of S.H.I.E.L.D? I pulled out a few shirts, holding them up to my chest to see which would be best. I groaned after a few minutes and settled for a baby blue sweater and brown jeans, then shoved my feet into pink Converse. I grabbed my little yellow satchel and my car keys and drove to Stark Tower. There was a crowd of people outside, presumably looking for me. After I jumped off the tower, I had become quite the internet sensation. I exhaled slowly, pulled on a pair of sunglasses, and tucked my messy braid into a beanie. I pushed through the crowd and into the lobby of the tower. The snobby secretary looked down at me over her glasses, so I flashed her my I.D. badge Stark gave me last night.

I sprinted up the stairs to Tony's workroom. All the machines whirring and spinning occupied my attention for several minutes until Stark entered with a man I didn't know.

"Oh good, you're here. Nikki, this is Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D." I shook Fury's outstretched hand and tried not to stare at his eye patch.

"It's good to meet you, sir. I'm Nikki, Nikki Callum," I said.

"Stark told me who you are. I'm very interested to see what you can do, Miss Callum. Is it okay if we run some tests to see the extent of your abilities?" I nodded.

"Of course! I'm also curious to see what we come up with." Director Fury and Stark led me out of the workroom and through the big halls of Stark tower. We stopped at a big white door. Stark swiped his I.D. badge and opened the door, holding it open for me and Fury. The room was huge and bright white, separated into two sections by a big glass wall.

"This is where we'll run most of our tests. I usually use it to test my suits and their durability, so it'd work really good for you." Tony walked to a console against the glass wall and pushed a few buttons. Fury opened a thick metal door into the other half of the room, ushering me in and shutting the door behind me. As Tony typed on a keyboard on the console, the walls spinned and opened compartments with guns and other machines.

Five minutes later, I had changed into a sports bra and a pair of tight biking shorts and was standing behind the glass wall with Fury and Stark observing me. Tony's voice filled the room through the intercom in the ceiling. "We're going to start simple here, then progress as time goes on. Sound good?" I nodded and gave him a thumbs up. A knife extended from the wall nearest me and ran its blade down my finger. There was no cut, as I expected. I held up my blood-free finger to show through the window. Stark pushed a button, and the knife fell, slamming the point through my foot into the ground. I laughed. It kind of tickled.

As the day wore on, we performed more experiments, mainly with the knife on other parts of my body. Weeks passed, then months. Many many more tests were performed on me, and I learned I was truly invincible to everything. I exercised harder than I ever had in my life, desperate to show Director Fury and Stark how I could do this.

Months later, my body became more fit. The small bunches of fat around my stomach and hips melted away, revealing the hard muscle underneath. It was pretty nice to finally have a flat stomach and killer thighs.

Nick Fury was very pleased with my hard work, and I was recruited for S.H.I.E.L.D. I met a nice, cute boy named Aiden, and we became really good friends. I met Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton, and they helped me train. Needless to say, with such good teachers, I became very good at fighting.

In September, I had been a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. for three months. On a bright day, I was taking all of my stress and frustration out on a punching bag, punching as hard as I could over and over again. My fist swung hard at the bag, and it tore through the seam, coating my lower arm in sand. A laugh rang out from the doorway. I turned and saw Tony laughing.

"What'd the bag do to you, kid?" he snorted. I shook the dirt off my hand, and he strolled casually across the exercise room to me. "I've got a surprise for you if you want to come see it."

I raised my eyebrows and began unwrapping the boxing tape from my knuckles. When I was ready, Stark led me to the penthouse of his tower. We entered, and he pointed to a glass display case. I gasped in delight when I saw what was inside.

It was a suit, similar to Natasha's and Clint's. It was a black long-sleeved crop top with a high straight neck, made of a rubbery Spandex-like material. There were high waisted leggings made of the same material, with white stripes up the side.

"I figured that since you're one of us now, you get to have a cool suit like the rest of us. Part of being an Avenger," Tony chuckled. I turned to face him quickly.

"What do you mean one of you?" He crossed the room and picked up a manila file from the table.

"You're an Avenger, kid. Fury signed off on it and all of the group agrees that you're good enough to be one of us."

I was silent for a moment, shocked. Then I shrieked with joy, leaping to Stark to embrace him. "Thank you thank you thank you!" I blubbered. He patted my shoulder a bit awkwardly.

"You did a good job, kid."


	5. Training

**A/N: Hi! I apologize, this is going to be another filler chapter before I get to the exciting stuff. It just felt kind of weird to jump right into Age of Ultron, which is where Nik really comes in, right after getting recruited. So you can skip this chapter if you want, but I always love reads and reviews!**

 **Chapter 5: Training/Getting to Know Them**

SHIELD training was pretty hardcore. Every day, I did intense kickboxing and core workouts. I had a super muscular body in a matter of months. In addition, I learned Tae Kwon Do, Kung Fu, and Jiu-Jitsu. So I got pretty badass, like Black Widow. She actually helped me with a lot of my training. We became pretty good friends from that, considering I was the newest member of the Avengers.

Natasha taught me target shooting and with practice, I was able to hit the center of targets with guns and knives every time.

I took a particular interest in grenades and other explosives. Tony and Nat took me to a military support battalion center near Brooklyn to practice with grenades. I was good at it, and it was so fun to blow everything up!

My personal trainer at SHIELD was Aidan Tobler. He was 21, 6 foot, brunette, and gorgeous. He definitely caught me staring several times during our training sessions. Our first session was kind of awkward. It went kind of like this:

"What's your name?" he had asked me. This was strange, since he was looking at my file as he asked me this. I frowned, confused.

"Nikki?" I answered, posing it like a question. He laughed and shook his head.

"No, your full name."

"Nicole Marie Callum, why?"

Aidan shrugged. "I like full names. I'm Aidan James Tobler." He stuck his hand out for me to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Nicole Marie." I took his hand and shook it.

"Likewise, Aidan James."

The cutest smile had spread over his face, and I knew right then that was going to be a good relationship, the like of which I had rarely had.

The day I really kicked things off with Aidan was a Thursday night in mid October. Our training session for the day ended at around 7:45 pm. I packed up my duffel bag, but before I could leave, Aidan grabbed my wrist and pulled me into him. I felt my cheeks turn scarlet when his hand travelled to the small of my back, caressing my hip. Our eyes met, and I was mesmerized by the beautiful green of his irises. His eyes flicked to my mouth, tentatively begging. I stood on my tiptoes and brushed his lips gently with mine. His lips were soft and warm and inviting. Aidan pulled me even closer, both hands gripping my hips and kissed me harder. I responded with enthusiasm, burying my fingers in his thick hair. Our lips moved together like a symphony, perfectly balanced. He slipped his fingers under the waistband of my running shorts, tracing circles into my skin. My hands traveled down his chest, exploring the toned muscle. I slid my hands under the hem of his shirt, craving more skin to skin contact.

In one swift move, barely breaking our making out, Aidan ripped off the shirt and pressed his warm chest against my body. He moved his hands to my butt, then whispered a low "jump" into my mouth. I did, wrapping my legs around his waist. He held me up by my thighs, then turned and slammed my back against the cement wall for more support. My tongue brushed at his lip, asking permission to enter. He allowed it through, and we both slid in our tongues, exploring each other's mouths.

Aidan grabbed the neckline of my V-neck and ripped it right down the middle, leaving me exposed in my sports bra. The cold air on my skin made me gasp a bit, but Aidan only pushed his warm skin harder onto mine. His hands made their way around my torso, up and down my sides, around my hips, across my stomach, barely brushing my breasts for the smallest second. I pushed off the wall, twisting so my back landed roughly on the foam mats on the floor. Aidan stopped kissing my mouth, attacking the soft spots on my collar and neck. I moaned with pleasure and breathed heavily. Every spot on my skin his lips loved felt like fire. We kissed for what felt like an eternity, but I never wanted it to end.

The lights flashed on suddenly, and Aidan and I both started in surprise. I fought a yell as I realized it was Stark, who was smirking in the doorway. Aidan lunged for his t-shirt on the floor next to me and covered me with it, then sat back on his heels and laughed. I covered my face in embarrassment.

"Next time you two want to make out all over the floor, make sure you close the door," Stark cautioned. That was it, and then he left. Aidan shook his head and stood, offering me his hand, which I took, and he pulled me up. I pulled a hoodie out of my bag, tossing Aidan back his shirt. I was mortified.

"You want a ride home?" he asked as he tugged his shirt over his tan chest. I shook my head, slung my bag over my shoulder, starting to walk out the door.

"Hey," Aidan jogged to me and held my arm. "What's wrong? That was pretty funny."

"More like pretty embarrassing," I groaned. Aidan chuckled and pulled me into a tight hug.

"Nik, it's fine, I promise," he assured me, then placed a tender kiss on my forehead. "Now let me take you home?"

I nodded somewhat reluctantly, and he held my hand, guiding me out to his motorcycle. When we reached my apartment building, he parked his bike on the sidewalk and walked me to my door like the gentleman he was. I kissed his gently goodnight, but I still craved more of him. So I took his hand, winked when he looked confused, and pulled him into my apartment.

I won't go into detail as to what we did that night, but it suffices to say that we were definitely a couple after that night.

: : : : :

I trained a lot also with different members of the Avengers. We all became good friends, and we had movie night every Wednesday night. I learned that Steve loved a classic apple pie with vanilla ice cream, and Nat was a sucker for the African blend coffee from the coffee shop just down the road from Stark Tower. Clint always beat everyone at dodgeball, and Tony's favorite band was AC/DC. Clint loved Star Wars, and Nat never cried in Titanic.

I became pretty famous alongside Tony, after the video of me falling from Stark Tower went viral. I went public with my abilities, and soon I had a pretty big fanbase going. I was invited on talk shows and even met George Clooney on Oprah, which was absolutely crazy. At first, I was really confused why so many people liked me and followed me on all my social media. But then it hit me.

I was your usual depressed teenager, pretending everything was okay when it wasn't. I was suicidal, anxious, and I hated life. But look at where I ended up! I'm an Avenger, a hero! I'm happy, and it's like I'm a beacon of hope to everyone out there who needs it. A reminder that everything gets better.

And when everyone likes you, who can help but being flattered?

 **A/N: there's chapter 5! I know, Aidan and Nik's first meeting was almost exactly like Hazel and Gus' from TFIOS, but I just thought it was too cute. Also I just really like writing kissing scenes, so I had to include one somewhere in this book. :P Anyway, next chapter and the following chapters will actually start to get to the exciting stuff! If you have any suggestions/requests/other, please feel free to DM me! And as always, I love reads and reviews!**

 **XOXO**


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